Not to disparage Mike Miller, J.J. Redick or Courtney Lee, but the Orlando Magic haven’t used a first-round draft pick on a truly tough, defensive-minded shooting guard since Nick Anderson.

On the eve of the franchise’s 25th anniversary, Indiana’s Victor Oladipo could bring things full circle.

It’s easy to forget that Anderson, the Magic’s all-time leader in games played and steals, was thought of more as a small forward heading into his rookie season and had a virtually non-existent 3-point shot.

Although the 6-foot-4 Oladipo can slide over to the 3 spot in a pinch, he is first and foremost a shooting guard who led the Big Ten in field-goal percentage last season and connected on 44.1 percent of his long-range attempts.

But what sets him apart from Kansas’ Ben McLemore is his defense and relentless drive. Oladipo earned honors as the conference’s defensive player of the year, and he was also the only guard ranked among the top 50 players in the country in offensive rebounding percentage.

When the Magic finished second behind the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA draft lottery, little consideration was given to Oladipo possibly going that high. In the past month, some reports and mock drafts have him moving up and threatening to break the stranglehold that Nerlens Noel and McLemore were thought to once have on the first two selections.